Content Area(s): Physical Science Topic: Teleportation Short description: So far, scientists have successfully teleported photons and atoms. Larger objects have not yet been teleported but this would not violate any known laws of physics. This is just an engineering problem that is likely to be solved in time.
Claim: We may be able to use teleportation to move objects or people.
Keywords: teleportation Difficulty of Concept: Hard
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: disintegrated, photon, atom, entanglement of electrons, quantum computing
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Logical Analogy Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of analogy before playing the scenario about teleportation in the Reason Racer game. Analogy is generally thought to be an inference. It is a component of scientific argumentation and usually involves an assumption that what is true for one situation or event is also true for another similar situation or event. It requires students to decide if two situations have enough similarities to expect the same outcomes from both when making a decision about accepting or rejecting a claim. Before playing the game, students could be given experimental situations to determine if they think an analogy could be made. For instance, does crater formation from dropping different massed objects into sand replicate how craters are formed on the moon? Link to Game Introduction Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq2TdYcdcfM
Full Text of Article:
Teleportation is defined as making an object disintegrate in one place while a perfect copy appears somewhere else. This means that time and space could be eliminated from travel -- we could be transported to any location instantly, without actually crossing a physical distance. Teleportation has been very popular in science fiction but is now becoming a reality. Within the next century, teleportation may be a real-life option for the movement of objects and perhaps even people. "The fact is that physicists have teleported things over miles," said Edward Farhi, the director of MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics. "It doesn't violate the laws of physics."
In 1993, scientist confirmed that teleportation is theoretically possible. Since then, teleportation has actually been performed. There is a huge problem, however. So far, only photons (light particles), energy, and atoms have successfully been teleported. Teleporting larger objects, like people, is just a scientific "engineering problem" that is likely to be solved in time, according to Professor Kaku, author of "Physics of the Impossible".
Teleportation uses a process called entanglement. Teleporting an electron would first involve "entangling" a pair of electrons. After the particles are made to interact in a certain manner, whatever one does influences the other, regardless of the distance between them — a bit of quantum physics that Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." Next, one electron — the one you want teleported — would stay wherever you like while you would physically bring the other electron to whatever destination you wish. Then you have to measure the quantum state of the electron you want teleported and send that in a signal to your destination, where it can be used on the other electron to recreate the first one.
But don’t try this at home. Successful teleportation requires that the original be completely destroyed leaving an exact copy in its place. For a person to be transported, a machine would have to be built that can analyze all of the trillion, trillion atoms in the human body. If the reassembled molecules were even a millimeter out of place, the person could arrive with some severe defect.
Whether or not teleportation of objects and people will ever be possible, teleportation has other exciting, practical uses. One is for quantum computing. This may allow us to build a quantum computer that will transport data at rates many times faster than today's most powerful computers.
Title: Beam Me Up!
Content Area(s): Physical ScienceTopic: Teleportation
Short description: So far, scientists have successfully teleported photons and atoms. Larger objects have not yet been teleported but this would not violate any known laws of physics. This is just an engineering problem that is likely to be solved in time.
Claim: We may be able to use teleportation to move objects or people.
Keywords: teleportation
Difficulty of Concept: Hard
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 42.4Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 11.6
Lexile: 1090
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ETS1 Engineering DesignMS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: disintegrated, photon, atom, entanglement of electrons, quantum computing
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Logical Analogy
Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of analogy before playing the scenario about teleportation in the Reason Racer game. Analogy is generally thought to be an inference. It is a component of scientific argumentation and usually involves an assumption that what is true for one situation or event is also true for another similar situation or event. It requires students to decide if two situations have enough similarities to expect the same outcomes from both when making a decision about accepting or rejecting a claim. Before playing the game, students could be given experimental situations to determine if they think an analogy could be made. For instance, does crater formation from dropping different massed objects into sand replicate how craters are formed on the moon?
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq2TdYcdcfM
Full Text of Article:
Teleportation is defined as making an object disintegrate in one place while a perfect copy appears somewhere else. This means that time and space could be eliminated from travel -- we could be transported to any location instantly, without actually crossing a physical distance. Teleportation has been very popular in science fiction but is now becoming a reality. Within the next century, teleportation may be a real-life option for the movement of objects and perhaps even people. "The fact is that physicists have teleported things over miles," said Edward Farhi, the director of MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics. "It doesn't violate the laws of physics."In 1993, scientist confirmed that teleportation is theoretically possible. Since then, teleportation has actually been performed. There is a huge problem, however. So far, only photons (light particles), energy, and atoms have successfully been teleported. Teleporting larger objects, like people, is just a scientific "engineering problem" that is likely to be solved in time, according to Professor Kaku, author of "Physics of the Impossible".
Teleportation uses a process called entanglement. Teleporting an electron would first involve "entangling" a pair of electrons. After the particles are made to interact in a certain manner, whatever one does influences the other, regardless of the distance between them — a bit of quantum physics that Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." Next, one electron — the one you want teleported — would stay wherever you like while you would physically bring the other electron to whatever destination you wish. Then you have to measure the quantum state of the electron you want teleported and send that in a signal to your destination, where it can be used on the other electron to recreate the first one.
But don’t try this at home. Successful teleportation requires that the original be completely destroyed leaving an exact copy in its place. For a person to be transported, a machine would have to be built that can analyze all of the trillion, trillion atoms in the human body. If the reassembled molecules were even a millimeter out of place, the person could arrive with some severe defect.
Whether or not teleportation of objects and people will ever be possible, teleportation has other exciting, practical uses. One is for quantum computing. This may allow us to build a quantum computer that will transport data at rates many times faster than today's most powerful computers.
References/Sources:
Additional Content:
Author: Cindy Wilbur